according to jim
ABC
by tamara
I've seen about six episodes of this gem, so I can tell you with shameful authority that they're all about the same. Six, you say? Yes, six. You see, before my job writing for a TV trivia website, I had barely watched a sitcom since "Sanford and Son". Good days, those were. But now, lost in the haze of too many FOX promos where lead characters dance for no reason, I have become versed in the evil ways of prime-time TV. And "According to Jim" is enemy #1.

Perhaps the most bizarre thing about this show is that ABC considers it a small hit. See, if I was a TV exec and heard the words "Jim" and "Belushi", especially used together, I would nix the idea in a second. Not only did they go ahead with Belushi as the star, but they gave him all the crappy-ass sitcom fixin's that come with it. Horsey sauce, indeed.

Here's the premise: big fat slob (Belushi) makes jokes about beer, sports, and his favorite chair (hilarious "ass groove references". Classic!). But it's not all one-note: sometimes he alternates this with complaining to his doting wife and kids. And I have to admit, when I see these sort of jim-like characters yelling at their wives in the grocery store, it is kind of charming.

The supporting cast includes a hot wife (in yet another example of the hot girl-shlubby guy syndrome ever-present on TV) by Courtney Thorne-Smith of Melrose Place and Ally McBeal fame. You can tell she's playing a much different character in "Jim", though, because her hair is shorter.

There are also two twin kids that do cute things, like getting Jim Belushi's face off your TV screen for a few seconds. I think I might write them a fan letter.

Here's a taste of the show: Jim, because he's home watching football, is left to baby sit the kids. But being an irresponsible and hapless parent, he merely lets them watch the game with him, and when he curses at the screen, they pick up the new words. Of course, he doesn't remember where they learned the words since he's really only a self-absorbed ignoramus. There was a moment though, when I thought they almost addressed the fact that the single highest reported rate of wife beating takes place every Superbowl Sunday. But instead, Jim settled into his ass-groove and burped.